Our Environment Is Destroyed”: Thange Residents Decry Ongoing Impact of KPC Oil Spill, 10 Years On
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By John Kariuki
Thange, Makueni County – May 2, 2025 — A decade after a devastating oil spill from the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), residents of Thange Village in Kibwezi East are still suffering — and demanding answers.
The spill, traced to a suspected leak along the Mombasa-Nairobi pipeline in May 2015, contaminated Thange River and surrounding farmland. What was once one of Makueni’s most fertile agricultural areas has turned into a symbol of environmental ruin and systemic failure.
“People think the oil spill was cleaned up and forgotten. But for us, it never ended,” said Thange MCA Erick Musyoki Katumo in a petition to the Senate Energy Committee chaired by Dr. Oburu Odinga. Residents say they are dealing with poisoned land, unsafe water, and a rise in cancer and kidney disease.
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr echoed the alarm: “This spill runs 15 feet deep. The aftermath is still claiming lives. Boreholes are closed. Crops won’t grow. Families are paying Ksh. 10,000 weekly for dialysis.”
Originally, KPC claimed the contamination was contained within a one-kilometer radius. But recent findings — including an independent taskforce report by the county — contradict that. The damage, it shows, has spread downstream to areas like Masongaleni Ward, threatening entire ecosystems.
Masongaleni MCA Bryan Kyalo Nzoka said the toxic flow continues to seep into new areas. “River Thange carries that poison,” he said. “This is still spreading.”
KPC has paid Ksh. 38 million to 342 households — a sum residents say is woefully inadequate.
NEMA Director General Mamo Mamo cited Article 42 of the Constitution, guaranteeing the right to a clean and healthy environment. He noted that new restoration regulations have been put in place, but admitted more needs to be done.
“Money won’t fix poisoned water,” said NEMA board member John Mutuse. “We need generational solutions.”
Senator Daniel Maanzo vowed the Senate will summon KPC’s top leadership to answer for what many see as neglect. He also raised the possibility of relocating residents along the 42-kilometer stretch of the Thange River.
Governor Mutula went further, calling for a mandatory Ksh. 100 billion deposit bond from KPC to cover long-term damage. “What happened in Thange should never happen again. But if it does, we must be ready.”
As the community marks ten painful years since the spill, the message is clear: compensation is not enough. The people of Thange want restoration, accountability — and justice.
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